a.k.a. theVPO: Analysis and observation of Vermont politics from a liberal viewpoint

When Republicans Attack!

Hey, how’s everybody doin’? Been out in California for the last several days, which explains the relative lack of blogging.

Thanks to the Internet, however, I was able to enjoy the sad spectacle of our two Republican candidates for governor tossing insults back and forth.

Starting with Bruce Lisman’s latest missive that, once again, ties Phil Scott to the Shumlin administration. Quite accurately, it must be said. After all, Phil did spend roughly four years as a member of the Shumlin cabinet — a gesture of cross-partisan generosity on Shumlin’s part that cost him a fair amount of criticism. From me, among others; I thought it was a bad idea to help burnish Scott’s moderate, unpartisan credentials.

Guess I was wrong, not only is Our Lite Gov not using his credential, he’d prefer we all forgot about it. In fact, he’d slip it into a Vermont Yankee storage cask if he could.

Lisman did stretch the truth in depicting Scott as “support[ing] Governor Shumlin’s failed health care exchange.” As far as I can recall, Scott never actually supported Vermont Health Connect; leader that he is, he didn’t actually take a stand on the idea. That is, until he started thinking seriously about running for governor himself.

The real laugh line was in the response by Scott campaign manager Brittney Wilson, which revealed a side of Phil Scott I never knew: the Occupy Wall Street sympathizer.

Bruce spent 40+ years working on Wall Street for the two companies who are responsible for the 2009 depression! He made millions off the backs of working Americans!!! And now he’s using that money to run a negative campaign.

Right on, sister!

I’ve gotta say, I’m looking forward to the further adventures of Phil Scott, Populst. Will he be equally critical of big business in Vermont? Will he decry GlobalFoundries’ gleeful acceptance of millions in state grants? Will he slam Keurig Green Mountain for its eco-disastrous K-cups and its broken promises to develop a biodegradable version? Will he lambaste Entergy for its gross under-capitalization of the Vermont Yankee cleanup fund?

Oh, here’s an idea: maybe he could come out against the Association of General Contractors — of which he is a past president — for greedily seeking to pave as much of Vermont as they can. Or, hey, what if he slams lobbying groups like the Farm Bureau or the Grocers and Retailers Association for presenting themselves as advocates for small Vermont business when, in fact, the piper’s tune is called by their out-of-state corporate paymasters?

The possibilities are endless for the newly-minted People’s Champion Phil Scott.

Nah, just kidding. His attack on Wall Street is pure opportunism. No principle at all.

But if I can’t look forward to the further populist musings of Phil Scott, I can joyfully anticipate two more months of dyspeptic Scott/Lisman bickering.

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5 thoughts on “When Republicans Attack!”

The deserved criticism of Scott notwithstanding, does anyone else find it surreal that a life-long Democrat is spending millions of his Wall Street lucre in a Republican gubernatorial primary to beat up on a popular incumbent without anyone batting an eye?

Seriously, if it were a fat-cat Republican running as a Democrat, there’d be howls aplenty and a barrage of penalty flags thrown by the press and others. #onlyinVT

John you’re right about Lessman tacking to the right out of necessity, but I’d bet he’s voted Democrat forever. Lessman’s supported many more democrats over the years financially, my money is on he voted for Shumlin, Leahy and Welch these last few cycles. He’s just the ultimate opportunist, a man who saw a weak VTGOP and a plausible path to the Governorship. His bogus non-partisan storefront, aka Campaign for Vermont, will cease to exist after the Republican primary voters provide the drubbing he’ll get in August too. This guy is as fake as the subprime loans he packaged up and crashed the economy. His glossy Virginia Corry Bliss style mailers won’t move the needle either. Have to admit, it’s fun watching a guy piss away 2 million bucks…

Lisman has been slithering thru the VT tall grass for years surfacing periodically as he makes various attempts to supposedly help VT which no one has asked him to do. Armed with lobbying firms & surrounding himself with an entourage of well connected & respected VTers including former govt official serving both Dean & Douglas, Tom Pelhem has conducted an unmoored campaign-of-ideas basically attacking other politicians which is easy to do with no skin in any game.

Has held press conferences & submitted a op-eds by himself & CFV staffers primarily to spout off about his formulated ideas from CFV policy-papers mostly written by the former government staffer on CFV payroll. Filled CFV membership rolls with gullible VTers which included those who were unable to opt-out as proof of his grassroots appeal.

Mr. Lismans’ machinations have been been notable for the effete coyness routinely displayed & watched by VT blogosphere & internet publications throughout his evolving whatever-it-is. Personally have *always* believed Campaign For Vermont should have read Campaign For Vermont Governor as intentions were clear to the tea-leaf readers. But that would have tipped hand. And after the years-long shapeshift, public speaking & interviews seems to me this egomaniacal dreamer was hoping for a grassroots groundswell to hoist him into the fifth-floor which never caught on.https://thevpo.org/2015/10/30/evidence-of-bruce-lismans-appeal-hint-microscopic/

So had no choice but to finally enter race as a mere mortal, choice being Republican. Wouldn’t be surprised if he bolted to Indy as opposing Scott an uphill battle at best. Happen to think with Scotts’ support an impossibility-he had to have known this. Those who enter politics based upon delusional pipedreams or either one, in this case, as savior of VT, are doomed to failure. In Shummy’s case just plain delusional in the grandiosity of what he attempted.

Clearly Lisman desperately wishes to be seen as a heroic figure & savior. Looks like attempt to wash away the filth of sub-prime lending, mortgage-backed securities, credit-default swap nightmare he and fellow WS wizards serving paymasters & evil overlords visited upon the US & world thru the great extraction of ’08. Which we still have not recovered from & will never be made whole. Lisman as governor cannot put Humpty back together again.